Gibson County - Lyles Station and Toyota Motor Manufacturing

The Connect with Southern Indiana session for Gibson County was held February 7, 2014 starting at Lyles Station Historic School and Museum. The Lyles Station website (http://lylesstation.org/) describes the location as "as one of the last remaining African American settlements in the state. Settled in the early 1800's this community's heritage is preserved in the renovated Lyles Station School. It's Heritage Classroom," (seen below and to the right) "provides students the opportunity to experience a day in the life of school children in the early 1900's."

The school also houses a museum, gift shop, and meeting facilities, which is where we had the content portion of the Connect session. We started the day with the usual meet and greet with breakfast, followed by a review of last session.

This session was focused on finding your purpose and meaning, which is a very thought provoking topic. It's not always easy to find purpose and meaning, but it is key to being happy. Coach B introduced a concept known as "The Mix." The Mix is a combination of things you have to explore to find your purpose.

• Passion: What resonates with you? Passion is how you find your purpose and internal self. Love and passion are connected: what you are passionate about you will often love and be great at. 
• Talent: What do you bring to the table? What can you do? What are you good at? Passion does not equal talent. It takes 10,000 hours (4 years) to be good at something.
• Self-reflection: You must reflect to improve your strengths and weaknesses. Don't let yourself get complacent doing something your good at, but something you aren't passionate about. Its important to figure out what you want/can do before you get into something too deep that you don't love. 
• Action: You have to take steps to get where you want to be. Surround yourself by people who will accept, encourage, facilitate, etc. 

I find myself struggling with my Mix. Trying to bring together what I'm good at, what I am passionate about, and what someone will pay me to do is tricky. I'm still not sure I've figured out where I can get all of those in the right proportions. 

Then we were asked to identify our purpose. We did this by answering some important questions to steer us in the right direction: Why do you matter (in the context of this program, exclude service to God and family)? What are your strengths? What are your passions? What are important elements from your personal history? What would you like to see change in the world around you?

My purpose stemmed from my passion for environmental science and hazards/disasters. Some people don't understand how I can get excited about something that hurts people. I don't like that people get hurt, but I respect and am fascinated by the power of our environment. I studied the Mississippi River and the 2011 flooding as an undergraduate at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and have never lost my passion for the subject. 

I live in Henderson, KY and drive over the Ohio River every morning that I go to work or class in Evansville, IN. When I drive over the Ohio River, I don't just see a beautiful river with the sunrise reflected upon the seemingly calm surface. I see a force of nature that is an avenue of economic transport, a recreational fishing/boating/camping destination, a supplier of nutrients/sediment, and also a potential hazard that can kill dozens or leave millions homeless. It's not a matter of liking people suffering; its about understanding how and why things happen to keep history from repeating itself, which in turn saves people from continued heartache. 

From that, I derived my purpose: To increase understanding and respect of the undervalued, unappreciated, or misunderstood by challenging typical thinking and inspiring critical, intelligent discussion and solutions. 

When we shared our purposes with everyone, there were a few that stuck with me:

1. Improve society by bringing the environment in sight and in mind. (Brenton)
2. Inspire others (especially young people) to make a difference. (Linda)
3. Be selfless and create insight in the selfish. (Johnna)

After concluding the content portion of the session, we went to Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana. If your in the area and are able to visit Princeton, Indiana you HAVE to go to the Toyota plant for a tour.

There is a full visitor's center in addition to tour offerings. Check out  http://www.tourtoyotaindiana.com/. The visitors center is set up to be self-guided and is packed with information and interactive gadgets. I was entertained by the different stations and I know I will be taking my future kids someday! Unfortunately, you are not permitted to take cameras into the plant itself, but it is a definite must-do for anyone who is interested in cars, machines, robots, production, or really anything. LOL! Be sure to book your tour in advance though, as I just looked and some of the available times book up in advance!

This suspended Toyota Tundra shows all of the different components that make up the truck. The challenge is to find the key...Although the Indiana plant doesn't produce the Tundra anymore, the suspended truck took years to plan and execute and will remain in the visitors center. The plant produces the Sequoia SUV, the Sienna minivan (the tour explores the Sienna), and the Highlander. Just at the beginning of this year 2014, the Indiana plant began producing the Highlander Hybrid, which had previously been made in Japan. They are also producing right-hand drive vehicles for export. 

The Toyota plant with the visitors center and the tour blew my mind. After leaving, I called everyone who I could think of who would listen to me ramble about its awesomeness. :) There are other attractions in Gibson County besides Lyles and Toyota, like the Barn Quilt Trail, Azalea Path, and covered bridges. More information about Gibson County attractions, dining, and lodging can be found at http://www.gibsoncountyin.org/.